<   July 2009   >
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
  12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
Archive for July 2009

1339--Der Berlin-Urlaub31 Jul, 2009 | Posted by: person63

My friend Dror, who I met in Hong Kong, spent two months in Berlin this summer to learn German. He learned I was in Finland and so the natural thing was to invite me down there for a short trip, since Finland really is harder to get to than Berlin. So I took off on Friday to visit him, and I am glad I did. My first night in was rather low-key because I arrived about 6PM on Friday, so we went out to dinner and then to have some drinks. They had 5€ white Russians that were excellent at a local café, so we made sure to enjoy one of those.

» Read more | Leave comment (0)

1338--Back to the Finnish Doctors27 Jul, 2009 | Posted by: person63

So I returned to the Finnish doctors because of the lovely pain I was feeling in my throat. Woo! However this time I had a doctor who actually cared, so she was able to help me a lot. I am going to Turveystalo, the work clinic through my University, which has doctors meet you in their office rather than an examination table. Whenever you are set for a test, you will meet with a laboratory specialist who has another office, so you go to the provider/nurse rather than them coming to you. But all I need to say is that this trip was much more productive than my last.

» Read more | Leave comment (0)

1337--The frustration of vacations23 Jul, 2009 | Posted by: person63

So at first 5 weeks of vacation for solely the summer sounds really nice. It's tempting since in the United States, one needs to accrue a lot of vacation and is luck to even have four weeks of vacation after decades of being at the same job. However when an entire company or an entire country takes off essentially the same five weeks, it's a problem. And that's what I am facing now.

» Read more | Leave comment (0)

1336--Trip to Mariehamn, Åland21 Jul, 2009 | Posted by: person63

The trip to Åland started with me almost missing my ferry. I need to take two buses in order to get from my apartment to the ferry terminal. However the first bus did not show up, so I was panicking for about 45 minutes as I was waiting for the next bus. Fortunately I had made it with just enough time, so I didn't have to wait 12 hours and then take the ferry that would arrive at Åland at 2AM. These ferry rides are always interesting, although the one there went without any major events.


» Read more | Leave comment (0)

1335--And so the Countdown begins16 Jul, 2009 | Posted by: person63

So with less than a month to go (I arrive in Atlanta on 15 August at 4PM after traveling for around 19-21 hours, based on connections) here in Finland, I now get to start another countdown. This one is bittersweet because there is still a lot to do before I go:

-Get some results, hopefully
-Go to Åland
-Go to Berlin
-Go to Budapest
-Take the GRE
-Buy gifts for people--yes this one still needs to be done
-Relax and recover from this summer before one of the toughest semesters yet starts
-Make it home, which will be an interesting journey

» Read more | Leave comment (0)

1334--The Doctor14 Jul, 2009 | Posted by: person63

So I finally got tired of having to deal with foot pain and mouth pain to the point that I reconfirmed with my insurance company that I needed to go to Helsinki for non-emergency coverage. They told me that they would pay for either healthcare in Helsinki or the change fee for the ticket back to the US so that Blue Cross could then deal with me as a problem. I as frustrated, but then I learned that I could go to the doctor here in Finland for free through my work's coverage that they purchased for contracted workers (woohoo!) Therefore I went to the doctor.

» Read more | Leave comment (0)

1333--Part V-Hectic Delhi13 Jul, 2009 | Posted by: person63

So Bhopal was relaxing and Agra was beautiful. Delhi is very hectic because there is always something going on and so many people. Harmony hides within these crazy places, as always, but of course everything moves fast. Mainly what we did in Delhi was shop around for trademark Indian items (scarfs, shawls, spices, etc) to bring back to our families. However we also did some sightseeing and walked around a lot, despite the hot 100+ Fahrenheit days.



» Read more | Leave comment (0)

1332--Part IV Taj Mahal and Agra13 Jul, 2009 | Posted by: person63

In Agra I found myself at an extremely nice hotel. All of my activities in Agra were arranged through a travel company so that we could minimize the number of potential complications since I was meeting up with Spiegel after touring around for a bit, and Agra isn't the safest place for tourists to wander alone. However I was in a nice van and my driver and guides were very kind.



» Read more | Leave comment (0)

1331--With just under 5 weeks left...12 Jul, 2009 | Posted by: person63

So I will take a break from writing about Delhi because I want to write about a few things that have been crossing my mind lately. Since mom and dad have left Finland, that means I am on the home stretch. It's like when I was in Hong Kong because they left about 6 weeks before I was scheduled to depart. It's always great to have them visit somewhere because they get a feeling for wherever I live. Now I get to move further on into what is going on at work so that I can wrap up work with a decently completed project.

However now is when I start missing everything much more than the beginning part of the trip. This is mainly because I am starting to think about how life will be after my return. A lot has occurred during these past few months, and I haven't been part of it. Now that the return is approaching extremely fast, I have to think about how life will be when I get back. Of course I have fallen in love with my mobile phone never ringing (it's a really nice feeling), so I know I will have an adjustment to actually using it for more than laundry. But there are many other things that have changed or that I have become used to over this summer; usually I cannot name them as easily until after I depart.

» Read more | Leave comment (0)

1330--Bhopal, more about my stay09 Jul, 2009 | Posted by: person63

Bhopal's Museum of Mankind is the last attraction that Shruti and I went during my stay. Man's evolutionary history and information about tribal life in India are covered by the different exhibits. The museum took quite a long time to get through because the exhibits were so thorough. It also contained quite a bit of information on India's large and diverse population. Outside of the indoor exhibitions are huts made by people from the local tribes of India who have brought their skills and materials just to bring an example of their huts for people to see. We spent quite a long time here, even more so considering that it was quite hot there!

» Read more | Leave comment (0)

1329--Bhopal, Some Details of Touring06 Jul, 2009 | Posted by: person63

The most notable thing about my stay in the Bhopal colony was the great kindness that the Gupta family extended to me. I stayed with her family for a few nights, and each one of them was great. Not many tourists make it to Bhopal because it is off the beaten path, but it is rather easy to get to from Delhi and there is a lot to see. I am glad to have Shruti and her family as my guides because I would have gotten immensely lost without them there.

» Read more | Leave comment (0)

1328--India Part I: Arrival and Delhi02 Jul, 2009 | Posted by: person63

First of all: Yes. I did have problems exiting Europe because of the Germans who did not properly process my entry. I was just interviewed for a few minutes before I crossed out of the EU. Nothing major like Amsterdam or San Francisco (or even Panama for that matter).

The Finnair flight I was on greatly exceeded my expectations for a mid-range flight. However they also gave me exit-row priority, so that also helped increase the comfort on that flight. The person seated next to me was really friendly, although I am very disappointed that due to problems upon my arrival I did not catch his name. He was very proud that a foreigner would come to his hometown of Bhopal to tour the country.

» Read more | Leave comment (0)